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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tuesday Intro: Carlos Ruiz Zafón's THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN

Here is the opening paragraph from Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Prisoner of Heaven,the third of his Cemetery of Forgotten Books novels. The first two, The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game, were worldwide bestsellers, and have been translated from the original Spanish into at least eight languages. The series is fascinating in that it is not meant to be experienced chronologically – you can read the books in any order.

I love Ruiz Zafón’s atmospheric writing, and the way he makes Barcelona, a city I love, a character in his novels. I will be coming back to this one for a complete review in a few weeks, but I can already tell you it is one of my favorite books of 2012!

Barcelona, December 1957

That year at Christmas time, every morning dawned laced with frost under leaden skies. A bluish hue tinged the city and people walked by, wrapped up to their ears and drawing lines of vapour with their breath in the cold air. Very few stopped to gaze at the shop window of Sempere & Sons; fewer still ventured inside to ask for that lost book that had been waiting for them all their lives and whose sale, poetic fantasies aside, would have contributed to shoring up the bookshop’s ailing finances.

What do you think? Would you jump into the series here?

And if you’re looking for inspiration, why not head over to Bibliophile by the Sea and check out other First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intro ideas! Thanks, Diane, for hosting!

I am reading this book as part of a TLC Book Tour, and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest opinion. You can check out other opinions here.

I am having a nice, but crazy, summer Diane. China, work and sending a kiddo to college are seriously harshing my reading groove. Looking forward to some downtime once my sabbatical starts in earnest in August!

If you liked Shadow of the Wind, I think you'll love this one as well! I think the translation is outstanding.

Oooooooooooh -- I hadn't realized this trilogy could be read in any order -- fascinating! Now I'll have to get them -- I had held off because I thought one needed to start with the first book. The cover is gorgeous and I'm in love with the opening paragraph -- nice choice!

About Me

Wife and mom and daughter; Latin dance lover; communications professor; political communications researcher; avid reader; adventurous cook; generally a wiseass, if my friends and family are to be believed.